Chapter 1695: A Small Conflict

Song Qian and Fan Beibei were having a great time. One of them, being young, loved to play, while the other, though not young, was usually busy with trainee life and had no time to go out. So now that they finally had the chance, of course they wanted to enjoy themselves.

"Sister, I'm tired."

After playing for another hour or so, Fan Beibei finally couldn't hold on anymore. After all, she was still a child with limited energy.

Hearing this, Song Qian smiled and said softly to Fan Beibei, "Then shall we go have lunch?"

"Okay."

Fan Beibei nodded, reached out and took Song Qian's hand, and the two prepared to walk toward where Zhao Fusheng and the others were.

"Song Qian?"

Just then, a voice sounded not far from them.

Song Qian was startled and stopped in her tracks, seeing several girls approaching from behind.

"Ah, seniors, hello."

Seeing them, Song Qian quickly bowed and greeted them.

"Didn't you ask for leave?"

The leader was a tall girl who looked only in her teens. Though younger than Song Qian, she had an imposing presence.

"Ah, yes..."

Song Qian didn't know what to say for a moment.

She had told her roommate she was feeling unwell and needed to take leave.

The company's manager in charge of trainees probably hadn't leaked the news either, so these people didn't know she was working as a director and translator.

She thought she wouldn't be that unlucky, but unexpectedly, she ran into seniors from her own company.

And not just any seniors—those about to debut.

The girl spoke fluently in Korean, but because she spoke too fast, Song Qian looked bewildered.

"You..."

The girl slapped her forehead, remembering that this much older junior was from China and didn't seem to know Korean well.

"Jessica, why bother with her? Such a disobedient junior deserves a good lesson!" Just then, a tall boy standing behind the girl suddenly spoke up.

"Taec-yeon, shut up!"

The girl named Jessica glared at her fellow American and said irritably, "She's our company's junior; you don't need to teach her a lesson!"

It seemed she was protective of her own.

Taec-yeon hesitated but didn't say anything more, standing there obediently watching Jessica.

"Go back to the company and practice. If I don't see you tonight, you can forget about staying in SM Entertainment!" Jessica glared at Song Qian and said sternly.

She had a reason for interfering.

There were rumors among the middle management that this Chinese girl might debut in a group with her sister.

For that reason alone, Jessica would definitely step in.

"What's going on?"

Just then, Zhao Fusheng noticed the commotion and quickly walked over.

"Mr. Zhao..."

Seeing Zhao Fusheng, Song Qian's expression changed, and she looked at him helplessly.

"Brother!"

Fan Beibei quickly ran to Zhao Fusheng. She was a bit confused—she and Song Qian were resting when suddenly someone came over and rattled off a bunch of things she couldn't understand.

"What's wrong, Beibei?" Zhao Fusheng frowned.

"There are bad people!"

Fan Beibei said to Zhao Fusheng.

"Bad people?"

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then laughed and patted the little girl's head. "Don't talk nonsense; there aren't that many bad people."

He saw the people across from Song Qian; they all looked like trainees, and a few seemed familiar—probably future idols.

"Miss Song, do you know them?"

Zhao Fusheng asked Song Qian.

Song Qian nodded. "This is Senior Jessica from our company. She thought I was sneaking out."

"Oh." Zhao Fusheng smiled. So she was a girl with a strong sense of justice.

He waved and said to Jessica, "Hello."

"Ah, hello."

Jessica was a bit surprised, then looked at Zhao Fusheng curiously. "Who are you? Are you Song Qian's boyfriend?"

She thought Zhao Fusheng looked a bit older than Song Qian, so she asked instinctively.

"Boy, boyfriend?" Song Qian was mortified at the question and quickly waved her hands frantically in denial. "No, no, don't misunderstand. It's not what you think. Really, it's not what you think."

Zhao Fusheng didn't understand Korean well, so he looked at Song Qian in confusion. "What is she saying?"

"Um, she misunderstood and thought you were my boyfriend."

Song Qian blushed and said to Zhao Fusheng with a wry smile.

Zhao Fusheng was amused and laughed heartily. He said to the girl, "Hello, miss. I'm from China. Miss Song is the guide and translator I hired, and it's approved by your SM Entertainment."

"Approved?"

Jessica looked at Zhao Fusheng in surprise, clearly not expecting that.

More importantly, this man claimed the company had approved it.

She knew SM Entertainment's nature all too well—the company wished it could turn twenty-four hours into forty-eight, making trainees practice every day. Yet now they had let Song Qian spend a week accompanying this man as a guide and translator.

What was going on?

Frowning slightly, Jessica looked at Zhao Fusheng seriously. "What proof do you have?"

"Me?"

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then laughed and shook his head. "I don't need proof."

Then, in English, he said to Jessica, "I'm a shareholder of SM Entertainment, so of course I have the right to ask the company to assign me a guide and translator."

"Ah?"

Jessica was stunned. She never expected Zhao Fusheng to be a shareholder of SM Entertainment.

"Since when does your company have a Chinese shareholder?" Taec-yeon asked curiously at that moment.

Since Zhao Fusheng and Jessica had been speaking in English, those who understood English could follow, while those who didn't were utterly confused.

"Go ask your manager."

Zhao Fusheng had no interest in playing tour guide. A trainee, even if she later became a superstar across Asia, was just an ordinary commodity in his eyes.

Yes, a commodity.

All Korean idols, whether superstars or rising newcomers, were ultimately products on an assembly line. Handsome men and beautiful women attracted fans with various traits, and through them, made fans willingly open their wallets.

This business model was pioneered by SM Entertainment. Founder Lee Soo-man, a failed singer in his early days, started investing in record companies after retiring.

Around that time, former Korean rock prodigy Seo Taiji formed Seo Taiji and Boys, the first idol group in Korea, which gave Lee Soo-man a glimmer of hope. He decisively shifted SM's main business from record sales to idol training.

The first group they launched was the legendary H.O.T.

Many people today have forgotten the glory days of the "White Fans" dominating the scene, only remembering that whenever H.O.T.'s five members took the stage, the audience was filled with frenzied fans.

This is no exaggeration. Korea is a small country with a small population; an idol with a few hundred thousand fans was already considered hugely popular.

More importantly, these idols had a massive base of devoted fans who could truly influence album and digital sales.

Even Zhao Fusheng knew that Korea's music industry was rigidly stratified, more so than any other sector.

As for the girl named Jessica, Zhao Fusheng wasn't interested in her future development. He wasn't her father, so why should he discipline her?

The best way to deal with a disobedient child was either to give them a harsh lesson so they remembered the pain, or simply abandon them to fend for themselves.

As for the girl's group, Zhao Fusheng admitted it was a very successful one. Being able to compete with boy bands as a girl group and being hailed as "Girls' Generation" was no small feat.

But in the end, even that group couldn't avoid disbandment.

"Who are you?"

After hesitating for a long time, Jessica gritted her teeth and blocked Zhao Fusheng's path, extending her arm. "No matter who you are, you can't take Song Qian away. She has to go to training."

Zhao Fusheng frowned, looked at her, and realized she was stubborn. So he patiently said, "She's currently employed by me, and your company has agreed. If you don't believe me, you can call the company and ask. I won't leave; I'll stay right here."

That was his honest thought. Letting Jessica misunderstand would not only prevent his identity from being disclosed but also damage Song Qian's reputation.

For Zhao Fusheng, he didn't care about his image in SM's eyes. After all, he was the shareholder, and they were the ones who needed him.

To put it bluntly, Zhao Fusheng and his company held the upper hand.

Jessica's expression changed. She took a deep breath and looked at Zhao Fusheng. "Are you sure you're close with her?"

Zhao Fusheng laughed and waved his hand calmly. "I'm not close with her, but I'm her employer. She needs to pay the price for what she gets."

Hearing this, Jessica was utterly shocked.

She stared at Zhao Fusheng, her eyes filled with anger and disgust. "You, you're really a bad person! Let her go!"

As she spoke, she looked ready to pounce.

Not only her, but the boys beside her also looked eager to try, clearly intending to cause trouble for Zhao Fusheng.